Cloud of pollution threatens Persian Gulf, rest of world
Dubai (AsiaNews/Agencies) A smog-like cloud of dust and pollution, which until now has only been seen in Asian skies, threatens to extend itself throughout the Middle East and will make for drier climatic conditions around the globe. This is what Veerabhadran Ramanathan said, a noted Indian climatology scientist at the University of California's Scripps Institute.
According to Ramanathan there is evidence that the entire Persian Gulf region is now being swallowed up by global flow of pollution rolling over the region just a few kilometers from ground level.
This past Feb. 24 the Indian scientist, while at a conference on pollution in Dubai, said there is a cloud of haze moving just 300 meters over the city, mixing with desert dust and pollution from the capital. The smog-like cloud is said to have probably traveled there from thousands of kilometers away (from India it is thought). If not, it was created locally.
Ramanathan later added that for now no research has been conducted on the environmental impact that Persian Gulf coast refineries have on the region and concluded that "the Middle East must be a part of our (research) program."
The discovery provoked reactions from Indian state officials who view their country as being singled out for the occurrence of atmospheric pollution in the area.
Ramanathan is among those who discovered the so-called "Asian Brown Cloud". In 1999, with the support of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), his team of researchers was the first to identify the blanket of smog rolling over southern Asia, composed of chemicals and dust particles produced by cars, aerosols as well as emissions from the burning and disposal of industrial and agricultural waste.
Ramanathan said that the flow of pollution throughout the world's atmosphere is fed by the urbanization of certain metropolises like Los Angeles, New Delhi, Bombay, Beijing and Cairo. Looking back, the scientist's discovery likely did justice to the Bush administration for having choosen not to countersign the Kyoto Protocol (for taking measures to reduce pollution throughout the world).
Ramanathan says that sources of the pollution hail more from the third world than they do from the United States. At any rate, the scientist says the environmental problem is a global issue: "Pollution emanating for the American east coast can reach Europe in 4 or 5 days and a week later southern Asia. Such quick traveling (of the pollution) changes a local problem into a regional and global one."
Some researchers are convinced that such pollution will lead to global warming and humid weather conditons due the simultaneous effect of the polar ice caps melting. However Ramanathan asserts that the contrary will occur. He believes world climates will become drier, particularly in tropical regions. According to his research, the smog-like cloud reduces the penetration of the sun's rays over oceans, causing less water to evaporate from these bodies of water and, hence, reducing precipitation and rainfall throughout the world.
Ramanathan cited evidence for his theory from results gathered by a team of researchers in the Himalayas (in northern India) who say that due to hazy atmospheric conditions in the area about 10-17% less sunlight reaches the earth's surface. Ramanathan says that this will lead not to the Antarctic ice cap melting away but to the transforming of the Tropics into desert regions. (MdO)
.png)
22/04/2022 19:06
